Hip thrust exercise

It’s difficult to walk into a gym and not run into someone trying to develop their posterior chain with set after set of hip thrusts. The exercise has actually been around for a long time, but it’s gotten a surge of popularity in the last 10 years or so, possibly fueled by social media trends and glute-building fascination. Credit: Jasminko Ibrakovic / Shutterstock Many gyms even have specialized hip thrust machines, which offer a fixed path of movement and an easier setup than combining a flat bench, barbell, and an assortment of pads or steps. At its core, the hip thrust is a movement with many technical details worth considering. If you want the best results, read on for a full-scale breakdown of this powerful and popular lift. • How to Do the Hip Thrust • Hip Thrust Mistakes to Avoid • How to Progress the Hip Thrust • Benefits of the Hip Thrust • Muscles Worked by the Hip Thrust • How to Program the Hip Thrust • Hip Thrust Variations • Frequently Asked Questions Presuming you don’t have access to a hip thrust machine, you’ll need to first gather a barbell (a five-footer will be easier to balance than a standard seven-foot bar), a sturdy flat bench, a bar pad to spare your hip bones once the weights get heavy, and plenty of plates to load. Step 1 — Set Up the Starting Position Credit: BarBend / YouTube Sit on the ground perpendicular to the bench with the center of your shoulder blades resting on the corner of the bench pad. Set your feet a comfortable width apart — tha...

You may be practicing “Hip thrusters strengthen your glutes in a way no other exercise does. They help build strength and power in your posterior chain which is also important for stabilization in your core,” Runner’s World. “Strong glutes help control stride length and help the runner to maintain good biomechanics, especially when you start to fatigue on those Related Story • 6 Effective Core Exercises All Runners Should Do Hip thrusts look similar to another move you might know, called the To help you add hip thrust exercises into your workout routine, Rees demonstrates a traditional hip thrust, plus three variations. Add one to your next How to use this list: Do 12 reps of each exercise, with little to no rest in between each exercise. You can complete 2 to 3 sets of this workout, resting for 30 seconds in between each set. Join Runner's World+ for unlimited access to the best training tips for runners Traditional Hip Thrust Sit on the floor with knees bent and feet planted. Rest shoulders and upper back on a stability ball, couch, or other elevated service. Looking down toward belly button, drive feet into floor, engage glutes, and lift hips off the ground, forming a straight line from shoulders to knees. Slowly lower hips back toward the floor. Repeat. Do 12 reps. Hip Thrust Hold With Walkout Sit on the floor with knees bent and feet planted. Rest shoulders and upper back on a stability ball, couch, or other elevated service. Looking down toward belly button, drive fe...

What do hip thrusts work? Your glutes are part of a network of core muscles alongside your abs and deeper stabilizing muscles. But people with sedentary lifestyles and office jobs often find their glutes and hips are tighter and weaker than those with active lifestyles. Over time, this puts pressure on your lower back, leading to potential hip, knee and ankle problems. This thrust exercise strengthens your glutes and the muscles around your hips and knees, including your gluteus maximus, minimus and medius, hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, adductors (inner thighs) and core. Moreover, your glutes help keep your pelvis stable, rotate the hip joint and support lower body movement, posture and balance. So, it’s crucial to keep them strong and active. Many people struggle to activate their glutes properly during exercises, such as squats, so this exercise is my go-to for people whose glutes underfire and anyone who wants to build lower body strength and muscle. Over time, improving your ability to thrust will translate into other exercises like How to do hip thrusts (Image credit: Shutterstock) You can learn A common hip thrust mistake is foot positioning. Having the feet too close together turns it into a quad-dominant exercise, and placing feet too far apart emphasizes your hamstrings. Shoulder-width apart should be optimal for glute contraction, but it doesn’t hurt to experiment first to see what works for you. If your knees begin to cave in, I recommend placing this Other mi...

Whether you’re using dumbbells, a barbell, or just your bodyweight, the hip thrust is one of the best exercises you can do to build That’s because the hip thrust is really, really good at isolating your gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in your butt and in your entire lower body, Sydney Rice, MS, an exercise physiologist at the Sports Performance Center at In fact, according to a 2020 review in the Journal of Sport Science & Medicine , the barbell hip thrust elicited high and very high gluteus maximus activation at relatively low loads. For example, a barbell hip thrust performed at 36% of your one-rep max (the amount of weight you can lift for only one rep) caused similar gluteus maximus activation as a Romanian deadlift and back squat at one rep max. So even at lower weights, the hip thrust is superb at really lighting up your glutes. While gradually adding more and more weight to any exercise is a crucial way to keep challenging your muscles, it’s definitely not the only way to make a move work for you. And as the research above shows, you don’t have to load up the hip thrust super heavy to reap big glute gains—unless you want to, of course! In fact, there are a whole host of other factors you can employ to make your hip thrust even more effective that have nothing to do with added weight. Here are some tips to try during your next 1. Warm up your glutes with activation exercises. Isolating your butt muscles during your For example, you can do bodyweight glute bridges...

Few exercises compare to the hip thrust when you’re on the mission of This article breaks down how to properly perform hip thrusts, their benefits, muscles worked, variations, and mistakes to avoid. • How to Do the Hip Thrust • Hip Thrust Sets and Reps • Common Hip Thrust Mistakes • Hip Thrust Variations • Hip Thrust Alternatives • Muscles Worked by the Hip Thrust • Benefits of the Hip Thrust • Who Should Do the Hip Thrust • Frequently Asked Questions Editor’s note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it shouldn’t take the place of advice and/or supervision from a medical professional. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. Speak with your physician if you have any concerns. Hip Thrust Video Guide You can also check out our in-depth hip thrust guide for more information on the benefits, applications, and variations. Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: [Related: The 10 The hip thrust is relatively simple to perform, but understanding how to set up and Step 1 — Place Loaded Bar In Hip Crease Sit with your back up against the Form Tip: Your knee joints should be about 90 degrees. This will help Step 2 — Stabilize Your Upper Back on the Bench As you lean back into the bench, you want Form Tip: At the top of the hip thrust, you should be able to lift your hips upwards so that the torso is parallel to the floor. If you feel like you cannot, you m...

How Hip Thrusts Build Strong Glutes Hip thrusts are a simple and effective compound exercise that develops posterior muscles and hip extension strength ( The hip thrust is highly beneficial because it offers a good range of motion and an impeccable overloading potential. It’s not uncommon for trainees to hip thrust 300 or 400 pounds after years of dedicated training. The enormous load places great mechanical tension on the hamstrings and glutes, forcing growth ( The hip thrust’s primary benefits are that it improves hip extension and core strength, leading to better athletic performance, more stability, and a lower risk of injury. We recommend including the hip thrust as a first or second exercise in a workout. It’s best to do the movement at your freshest, so you can lift more weight and maintain proper technique. How to do a Hip Thrust • Sit on the floor and position your upper back against the edge of a bench. • Straighten your arms and rest them on the bench to your sides. You can have your palms flat on the bench for extra support. • Bend your knees and plant your feet firmly on the floor. Your knees should point forward and up, not to the sides. • Bring your shoulders back, make sure that your neck is in line with your torso, and take a breath. • Engage your glutes and push through your hips and heels to raise your butt off the floor. • Go up as much as you can – typically, as your hips become slightly more elevated than your shoulders. • Hold the contraction for a m...